Automobile accessory



April 30, 1929. J. BINDON 1,710,807

7 AUTOMOBILE ACCESSORY Filed Feb. 10, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet I INVENTOR ATTORNEYS April 30, 1929. J. BINDON 1,710,807

AUTOMOBILE ACCESSORY Filed Feb. 10, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEY$ Bit Patented Apr. 30, 1929.

UNITED STATES JAMES BINDON, 0F NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.

AUTOMOBILE ACCESSORY.

Application filed February 10, 1927. Serial No. 167,094.

This invention relates to automobile hood curtains. More particularly, it relntrs to the type of hood curtain for regulating the degree of ventilation and passage of air through the side vents or louvres of automobile hoods, disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 90,237, filed Feb ruary 1926.

In :n'ihnnobiles employing water cooled engines a considerable .inrush of air through the radiator is necessary to keep the temperatures oi the motor below certain operating limits. The steady stream of inflowing air is gnoifliiced in part by the forward movement of the vehicle and in part by a suction fan llrllillly placed directly in back of the radiator. i

Such air must find an outlet after being drawn through the radiator and over the engine surfaces. For that reason vents or louvres are placed in the side walls of the hood. The cold air, drawn in through the radiator, is warmed in passing thrr'iugh, further heated in passing over the hot on nine sur s. and drawn ofi' partly through the louvres and partly through the opening at the rear end of the engine crank case. in Warm weather it is decidedly advantageous to remove the heated air as quickly as possible from the vicinity of the engine. In cold weather, however, the exact opposite is true. When the automobile is operated, air must still be drawn in through the radiator to cool the circulating water, butthe engine must not be cooled down too far by the removal of its radiated heat. It is therefore advisable to adopt some means 'ireby some of the radiated engine heat he retained within the hood and not drawn off by the current of: air. In add ition. any means for retaining the engine heat within the hood when the car stopped in cold weather is a decided advantage. Cross drafts through the hood vents carry away the radiated heat of the motor. Snow or rain driven into the hood through the rearwaidly open vents chills the motor and sometimes damages the engine.

I have. therefore, constructed a type of vent regulator which is well adapted for the purposes above mentioned and. yet is extremely simple in both operation and con struction. Since the fewer the obstructions to air pass-la e in warm weather the better, I am made my device detachable;

and in making it detachable I have used several features not found in any other type of vent regulator. For cold Weather drivmg it is casil appliedffor warm weather driving it is just aseasily removed; and for driving in any Weather at all, it provides a definite and variable adjustment of the degree of air passage through the hood vents.

In general, my type of regulator is constructed in the form of :1 rolled curtain extensible over all the louvres or an desired number of them. Such portion 0 the curtain as is not actively used to cover the vents desired is compactly rolled upon a spring roller at one end of the hood. The

entire device includingroller, fasteners and.

curtain is enclosed within the hood and so attached to the side sections thereof that it does not interfere with their opening and closing. Each side section carries the unit mounted on its inner wall independent of the rest of the hood and unnoticeable from the outside.

In order that either the front or rear louvres may be left uncovered to provide the escape of some of the air either before it has passed over the engine or afterward, I have so constructed my hood curtain that the roller support may be attached eitherat the front or the rear end of the hood section and the curtain unrolled to cover either the rear or the front louvres as desired. In addition, I haw: devised a hood curtain adaptable to louvres' of difi'erent lengths so that my device may be applicable to the hood sections of all types of automobiles.

For a better understanding of the invention reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a hood section slmwing my roller support secured to the rear end thereof.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a hood section showing my roller support secured to the :lront end thereof.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. i

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2. I t

Fig. 6 is a perspective view oi my roller support. a v

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the several parts i :omprising the assembly of my roller support.

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of my curtain end plate.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the several parts comprising the assembly of the curtain end plate.

Fig. illustrates the use of rubber tips with the spring ears.

Considering my invention more in detail in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of my invention, a representative type of hood sec tion is shown at 1 in Fig. 1. The vents or louvres in the hood section are shown at 2. The bracket support carrying the roller is indicated at 3 attached to the rearward end of the hood section by spring arms 4- and 4. The roller 5, which may be a spring roller of the common form, is mounted between the shoulders 6 of the support- 3 and carries the extensible curtain 7. At its free end the curtain is secured to an end plate 8 provided with spring arn'is t) for attaching hood section, and with a bent ear 10 to be used as a finger grip. The manner in which the hood curtain is operated when the roller support is secured to the front of the hood section is illustrated in Fig. 2. The un covered louvres may therefore be located either at the front of the hood section, as in Fig. 1 or at the rear as in Fig. 2. By regu lating the extension of the curtain 7 the air passing in through the radiator may be allowed to escape either before or afte' it has passed over the engine depending upon whether the front louvres or the rear louvres are left uncovered.

The top views of Figs. 3, L and 5 show more clearly the manner in which, the swings 4t and 4t and 9 secure the roller support and. curtain. plate to the hood section without producing unsightly outward evidences of the use of the device. The short spring arms 4: are hooked around the leading edge of the louvres and the longer arms i are hooked around the outwardly flaring trailing ends of the louvrcs to securely hold the roller hracl-iet 3 against the inner side of the hood section. If desired, rubber tips may be placed over the ends of the spring arms to eliminate any possibility of the bent ears of the arms inarring the finish of the hood. The curtain plate is held against the hood section by the hooking of the s gning arms 9 behind the straight forward edge of the louvres, as in Fig. at. when the roller support is secured to the rear end of the hood section and by the hooking of the spring arms 9 behind the flaring edge of the louvres, as in Fig. 5. when the roller support is attached to the front end of the hood section. Since the bent ears of the spring arms need be only large enough to hook securely it to the behind the edges of the louvres, no notice able outward evidences of the device are present to detract from the appearance of the automobile hood. liurthermore, since the device is attached to the hood section without the use of bolts or screws or rivets, the finish of the hood is not marred or in.- jured in any Way.

The spring roller 5 is mounted between the shoulders 6 of the roller bracket 3 with the customary free pivot and fixed pivot. The roller is not ratchetcd. the curtain is therefore always under the tension )I'()(lll('ttl by the twisting of the coil spring within the roller. As a result, the curtain is always taut regardless of how far it is extended, and the rolling up of the curtain is accomplished without the inconvenience of first disengaging the ratchet dogs.

The shoulders 6 are formed separate from the support 3 and are of standard size. The bracket 3, on the other hand, is made in different lengths depending upon the length of the louvres to be covered. The bracket may be made up in different lengths to lit the louvres of different makes of automobiles and the shoulders attached by means of suitable means such as the bolts 11. An upturned portion 12 is provided at either end of the lJl'flCl'iOt plate 3 to stiffen the plate and also to. act-as a. bearing shoulder for the correspondingly bent portion 13 of the shoulders 6. Ears 14 are provided on the shoulders 13 to furnish end supports for the roller pivots. These ears may be of any suitable shape although I prefer to make them of substantially semi-circular form. In each ear arranged a rectangular opening 15 for the fixed pivot of the roller and a circular opening 11b for the free pivot. The purpose of this will be explained later.

The roller bracket and shoulders may be made up of metal having any suitable thicio ness. Because no excessive strain is placed upon the shoulders and since the bracket plate is held flat against the inside of the hood section, metal of a relatively thin section may be employed. Since the insertion of the roller between the shoulders (i is accomplished by pushing them slightly apart, it desirable to use material that permits of such an action without necessitating too great a pressure.

Since the curtain roller is non-ratrheting, the curtain will always be drawn light. This is of considerableadvantage because the constant rush ofair through the hood has a teudeney to produce a fluttering of the curtain if it is the least bit loose. A very strong spring in the roller is therefore to be desired. To overcome fire hazard and the dangers incident to the curtain becoming oily or greasy, the fabric is treated to render it tire proof. As a safeguard against deterioration and lit) Ill)

till

rotting, due to the curtain being rolled up while wet, the uniterial is waterprool'ed. Rain or snow and such grease as may actaunulale on the curtain during use therefore.

leads to no ill etl'ects and does not harm the durability of the fabric. The curtain may also he removed from the hood section and thoroughly cleaned, when necessary, without injuring the material.

The springs, illustrated in Fig. 7 attached to either end of the roller bracket, Fig. (i, are provided. with a short arm 4 and a long arm 4;. The springs may be made up of suitable s nxing wire coiled to form a loop 17 and possessing considerable stillness. The ends oi the arms are bent as shown to form cars of sutlicient size to hook around the edges of the louvres. If desired, rubber tips 19 may be arranged on the cars 18 as in Fig. it! to protect the exterior finish of the hood section at the point of contact.

The assembling of the roller si'lpport is n-rl'ornied as shown in F ig. T. The loop of each spring is inserted between the parallel flat portions of the slnmlders ti and bracket plate 3 and a bolt passed through the opening 20 in the plate 3, through the loop 17 of the spring and through the hole 21 in the shoulder 6. A suitable detaclulble mians such as an ordinary not or a wing nut is then threaded on the bolt and the parts securely chu'eped together. The cars 18 of the spring arms are then hooked around their corresponding edge of the plate, so as to be in a convenient position for ready attachment to a hood section.

lv'hen it is desired to secure the bracket to a hood section, the short spring arms 4 are hooked behind the leading edge of the lonrrcs and the long arms 4 are hooked behind the flaring edge of the louvres. The springs are provided with one long arm for the express purpose otpermitting it to be bent outwardly far enough to hook behind the flaring edge. The transference of the bracket "from one end of" the. hood section to the other accomplished merely by disengaging the sprii'lg arms and moving the bracket to its new position where it is again attached as before. Ileause oi the substantially triangular shape of the springs, which places the arms under tension even when hooked around the edge ot the bracket bel'ore attachment to a hood section, a coin siderablc tension is established when the arms are forced still turlber apart to secure the Market in place. The bracket will theretore be held securely in place and will not rattle o r shake loose. The spring arms proride a simple yet very eflieient means of attachment and can be manufactured at very low cost.

The curtain plate 8 is shown complete in Fig. 8 and the manner in which the as sembly is made is shown in Fig. 9. The

the plate 8 and the car 10 or on top of the y car 10. The particularlocation is not of material importance.

The spring 9 maybe made of the same ma terial as the springs 4 and it and is provided with two spring arms having bent ears at their extremities. The loop 24 is secured at some distance back from the leading edge of the plate 8 in order to produce a tension in the spring arms when-the cars 95 are hooked behind the edge of the plate. The length of the spring arms may vary according to the length of the end plate. Ordinarily, it will be found that arms of substantially one third thelcngth of the plate produce suflicieut tension to hold the plate in position and yet are not too still to prevent easy manipulation.

By providing a fixed )ivot opening 15 and a tree pivot opening 16 in the bearing ear l-"l of each shoulder 6, the curtain roller can be readily reversed to permit unro'lling in the right direction irresl'iective of whether the bracket is located at the front or the rear of the hood section. Thus, when the bracket 3 located at the rear of the hood section, as in F ig. 1, the curtain is unrolled to the left. lVhcn the bracket moved to the front, as in Fig. 2, the curtain is unrolled to the right. Since the shoulders (5 are each provided with the fixed and free pivot openings it is only necessary to take out the roller, turn it end for end and reinscrt it. \Vhile one set of correeprmding pivots is thus located at a greater distance from the base oil the bracket 3, the difference is not slilfticient to be of any importance. The roller in one position is of course further away from the hood section but when it is considertul that the distance between the two pivot openings in each ear does not amount to much more than one eighth or one tplarter of an inch, it is readily evident that no undesirable results are present.

Furthernu re, instead of providing the ears of the shoulders (i with double pivot openings, to permit the re\ 'ersing of the roller when the bracket is moved .lrom one end to the other of the hood section, I can accomplish the same result by interchanging the roller support springs end for end. That is, with the bracket located as in Fig. 1 the short arms 4.- engage the straight edge of the louvre and the long arms 4' engage the flaring edges. It now the support is to be located as shown in Fig. 2, the entire bracket is turned end for end in order to permit the Ill] curtain to be unrolled to the right lll-llttlll of to the left as it vas before. However, with the bracket '11 the turned position, the short arms st of the springs will be on the flaring edge side of the louvr s an d the long arms 4. Will be on. the strright edge side. Coneide able ditiiculty would be encountered in attempting to press the short arms outward to engage the flaring edge because they would. be too shortand too stilt. It is therefore advisable to remove the nut, lTl'lliCl'ClllIlQO the springs and. clamp the bracket together. The short arms 4t are tl en on the straight edge sid: as shown in Fig. 2 and the long arms at are on the daring edge side. In this position the arms can be readily attached to the louvre edges in the same manner as they were before.

Because of: the dcniountability and detachability oi? my curtain device, it is poesilt-lc to remove all of the parts except the roller bracket, which may be left attached to the hood in. a. position where it readily available tor use yet out of the way when not ccsired. The bracket may thus be lett attached to the hood section. during warm weathe and the curtain. applicl when it desired to close some oil:' the vents during;- cold Weather. ()r the entire device inclinl ing the bracket may be detached from the hood section. and stored. away for later use. In either the rear mounting of Fig. 1 or the front mruinting of Fig. 2, the curtain may be used to cover some of the vents and leave the remainder open, and the location of the open louvres may be readily changed merely by relocating the bracket. \Vith my device it is therefore possible to ar ange the bracket upon the hood section in such a position. tl'iat any given louvres may be left uncovered while the remainder are covered. The ventilation of the motor may accordingly be accomplished with. accuracy and Willi case :l'o' any degree oi adjustment.

1 claim:

1. In a device of the type (lei-scribed a rollcr support comprising a base portion having upturned end edges, and detachable shoulders extciidine at right angles to said base portion and spaced therefrom by said upturned. edges.

lo a device ot the type described a rollor rlllppfil'l', comprising a base pint-ion having llplllllll'iljl end. edges, detachable shoulders superposed upon said end edges and spaced from said base portion, said shoulders having a portion attending pa 'allel and a portion extending perpendicular to said base portion, and means for detachably connectiny said shoulders to said base bortion.

In a device of the type described a roll er support comprising a base portion, dctachable shoulders secured to said lasc portion, and spring means intcr iosed between said shoulders and said bise portion for attachin said support to a hood section.

4:. In a device of the type describei'l a. roller SHDPOlt couiprising a base portion, detachable shoulders secured to said base portion, and s irine' means interposed between said SllOlllllllS and said base portion and extending; around both side edges ol said base portion for attaching said support to a hood section. said means being adapted to be bent outside of the plane of said base portion.

5. In a de ice ot' the type dos ribcd a roller support connprising a base portion, do tacl abi: shoulders adapted to be secured to said base portion, long shaped springs having: a coiled portion interposed between each of said shoulders and said. base portion and oppi sitcly arranged arms extending around both side edges of said base portion, and means LXiclllllllfl through each of said coiled portions for detachably connecting said shoulders to said base portion.

6. In a device of the type described means for attaching a roller support to a hood section comprising a pair of long shaped springs each having: a coiled portion and two convergent arms spaced apart by said coiled portion, each. of said arms being, adapted to extend along and around one side of said support, and detachable means extending through said coiled portion for attaching one of said springs to each end of said. support. 7

7. In a. device of the type described means for attaching a roller support to a hood section comprising a pair of substantially triangular shaped springs each having a coiled portion and two convergent arms continuous with and spaced apart by said coiled portiim, one of said arms being longer than the other, each. of said arms being :ulaptcd to extend along one side of said support and each having a bentend portion adapted to extend around one side of said fillppfilt, and detachable means extending through said coiled portion for attaching one of said springs to each end of said support.

In testin'iony whereof I atiix my si niature.

JAMES BINDON. 

